Syracuse, NY – Six Syracuse police officers will be reassigned from their jobs at the city’s middle schools because the Syracuse School District lacks the money to pay for them, Deputy Police Chief Joe Cecile said this morning.

The reassignments won’t take place for another week, and as school started this morning the officers reported to their middle schools assignments, Cecile said.

The school district reimburses the police department for the officers.

The schools budget that passed in July didn’t contain enough money to retain all of the officers, the deputy chief said. However, the police were hopeful new schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras would reallocate money for the service, he said.

“Last week we met with the superintendent. She informed us she just couldn’t find the money,” Cecile said.

The officers are part of the police department’s Community Policing division. They will be reassigned soon to the same neighborhoods as their middle school assignment, which will allow them to drop in at the schools to maintain the relationships built there, Cecile said.

Nine officers continue to be assigned to the city’s four high schools and Central Tech, he said.

Those officers will also handle incidents at the middle schools should the need arise, said school board President Richard Strong.